Sama Kubba is an extremely good younger woman who is currently pursuing a twin Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Middle Eastern and East Asian Studies at Harvard University.
This isn’t any tiny feat and speaks to her brilliant expertise and ambition. Set to graduate in 2024, Sama is a driven individual who has conquered high-quality adversity to get where she is today.
As a refugee from Iraq, her journey has been inspiring, spotlighting just how powerful the human spirit may be.
Along the way, Sama has made records as the first pupil diplomat from America to be despatched to Taiwan, paving the way for future generations to follow in her footsteps.
Thanks to the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program, Sama has had a valuable opportunity to increase her knowledge of global family members and work with the U.S. Department of State.
Sama Kubba is the Co-Founder of Accepted Admissions, an agency that specializes in providing students with personalized guidance and assistance throughout each level of the admission system.
With a team of experts, Sama is devoted to assisting students in achieving their desire to gain acceptance to prestigious universities throughout the U.S.A.
By providing individualized help, Sama and her team substantially increase the possibilities of success for college students attending Ivy League colleges and other enormously ranked universities.
However, her ardor for innovation and choice to promote wholesome dwelling no longer prevent her admissions consulting.
As a driven member of the Harvard Innovation Student Labs, Sama is dedicated to developing Train&Win, an app that aims to make weight loss and health packages extra cheap and available.
The app systems an aggressive running shoe market and offers cash rewards for individuals who hit their health milestones.
With Sama’s devotion to assisting students and commitment to remodeling the health industry, destiny appears shiny.
Describe a typical productive day.
A regular day for a Harvard pupil starts with training, then lunch, putting out with pals, dinner, and then nighttime activities held employing clubs, Harvard itself, or Grinding with different humans on homework in the eating halls, libraries, or dorm rooms.
Everyone’s timetable appears differently, but the key to having a practical Harvard experience is genuinely about prioritizing occasions.
If you make sure that you’re prioritizing the matters that rely the most on you, then you can make sure that you’ll honestly have the time for things that you care about.
I prioritize my time by making sure that the whole lot I do hits essential standards: 1) Go to activities that immediately align with your expert, professional, or intellectual dreams and pair 2) Go to occasions which you actually think are going to be fun along with your friends.
A lot of times, people at Harvard get, without a doubt, scared about lacking out on positive sports. However, a few things aren’t aligned with what we’re interested in or could, without a doubt, laugh at.
So, I find it undoubtedly crucial to stay genuine to yourself, realize yourself, and recognize what you enjoy so you can prioritize the things that you sincerely need to visit.
How do you actualize ideas?
Talk it out with those who are more intelligent than you. That has been my most significant benefit of Harvard: there’s constantly someone smarter than me with whom I can communicate about any complex area of the world.
Whether it is another pupil or a professor, you may always share your thoughts and find a person who can locate flaws, and also, you’re thinking to make it better or validate your thoughts.
What’s an exciting trend for you?
I respect how vocal Gen-Z is about boundaries and respecting their rights. I come from a low-profit historical past, and I’m a refugee within the U.S., so ensuring that my rights as a minority girl are always covered is, in reality, crucial.
I suppose it’s so critical that, as a society, we place a significant emphasis on accepting every person for who they may be and empowering marginalized communities.
Gen-Z’s Activism, vocalness, and capacity to understand their worth are fantastic and offer me the hope that we can flow right into a brighter destiny wherein individuals feel supported in all environments with their places of work and colleges.
What habit boosts your productivity?
Every morning, I have trouble getting up, so I take a hot shower. Very regularly, I stay up past due to painting on homework or for jobs, and I emerge not getting more than a few hours of sleep.
This makes getting up very tough, so I rely upon a pleasing warm bath after I rise to make waking up incentivizing and to have a remarkable start to the day. It is likewise so emotionally recovered to awaken to a nice warm bath.
What advice for your younger self?
It’s okay to name your mother and father for assistance. Growing up, I saw how being an Iraqi refugee in the US took a significant toll on my mother and father.
It became a massive lifestyle shock and was very draining on them. So, I usually tried to do the whole thing myself.
I constantly wanted to make my parents proud and to lead them to feel like coming to the US changed into a fantastic decision.
However, as I get older, I’ve discovered that it’s ok not to have all the solutions for your own, and it’s okay to need assistance.
Parents are, without a doubt, wise because they’ve been through plenty in their lifetime, and they are people who aren’t just too affected but also to rely on.
Share an uncommon belief you have.
My family and I have an ongoing confrontation with all of America about Donuts being breakfast foods. My own family fundamentally believes that Donuts are cakes.
I love donuts, don’t get me wrong, not anything towards the stunning Krispy Kreme donuts. However, this can not reasonably be considered breakfast food. This is a dessert!
What do you recommend doing regularly?
Go thrift your furnishings! Growing up, my family didn’t have much money, so we depended on thrift shops, craigslist, and Thrift apps like OfferUp to find affordable furniture.
If you are doing thorough, excellent control exams to ensure that the fixtures you are becoming are in the correct condition, then thrifting your furniture is a sincere, money-green way of furnishing your house!
How do you manage to overwhelm?
I look at myself inside the reflection and say, “You were given this.” It is vital to accept as accurate within yourself even if all and sundry around you no longer.
You can control your subsequent steps only when you most effectively realize your capability. If you trust in your functionality, then nothing else matters.
What’s a key growth strategy for you?
I had an excellent associate, without a doubt. Desiree Rickett is the great buddy and business partner I may want to ask for.
I’ve constantly heard different entrepreneurs say the same thing, and I stand by this as nicely: You want to enter business with the proper human beings.
I’m more youthful than others in commercial enterprise, but having the right associate has made a global distinction. It’s tough to do it all on your personally. However, it’s even more challenging with the wrong accomplice.
How did you learn from a failure?
The chain of command is crucial within the US Department of State and overseas coverage. As an intern, I am still figuring that out.
This summertime, I sent some emails across the branch and ended up causing a bit of a stir with one overseas provider officer.
My old bosses, whom I reconnected with after the incident, defined to me that since the country department operates off of hierarchy, structure, and formalities, it’s without a doubt crucial to speak with superiors or at the most diminutive human beings more senior than you about whatever which you plan to do.
This usually guides you in the proper path and ensures that each adequate technique and protocol is accompanied.
Moving forward, I learned that mentors are, in reality, essential inside the state branch and that you should always communicate with your superiors before doing anything in particular while you’re nonetheless figuring matters out and the way the whole thing works as an intern.
Can you share a business idea?
Social media advertising has been crucial to any company’s modern-day strategy. But my agencies are specifically researching running with micro-influencers to see if we can paint with the neighborhood wallets of communities in preference to extensive-ranging advertising. More to come on that!
What software aids your productivity?
Calendly is a lifesaver. It has not been less complicated to schedule meetings with others or have others schedule conferences with you. It truly saves me a lot of time when I’m scheduling meetings either with customers or with other individuals that I work with with the aid of automating the procedure.
Any valuable book or podcast?
One of my favorite podcasts till nowadays is the intelligence employing The Economist. I’ve found out plenty because it has a well-rounded angle on global affairs by ensuring that it covers political activities and cultural and educational achievements that our society has made.
What’s a recent favorite show and why?
I’m obsessed with the Diplomat– this is probably no longer unexpected, given how much I love foreign coverage.
I honestly just like the show because it’s undoubtedly thrilling and offers you exceptional insights into the existence of a Foreign Service Officer.
Many people don’t recognize ambassadors’ lives, which sheds light on a potential career direction for all of us obsessed with overseas coverage.
Sama Kubba Key learnings
- Talk it out with individuals who are more intelligent than you.
- Prioritize time by making sure that everything I do hits vital criteria: 1) Go to occasions that directly align with your professional, professional, or intellectual dreams and a couple of. 2) Go to occasions you think will be a laugh with your buddies.
- You need to enter business with the proper human beings.
